


My body is my cage

by mmusicofmysoul



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Swan Lake Fusion, Captain Duckling, Captain Killian Jones - Freeform, Captain Swan AU Month, F/M, Princess Emma Swan, swan lake AU, where Rumple is Rothbart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-11 04:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7029442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmusicofmysoul/pseuds/mmusicofmysoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SWAN LAKE AU/Captain Duckling: Captain Jones’s dear swan turned into a beautiful woman, the princess of the long-lost Misthaven, and both of them with their crew now have a mission to follow: find the Dark One who cursed the princess before the Dark One finds them. (4 parts)</p>
<p>(Rewrite of "Mi Cuerpo es mi Jaula")</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Swan Princess

**Author's Note:**

> Time ago I wrote in Spanish the first part of a Swan Lake AU (also posted here on AO3) based on a beautiful fanart made by the tumblr user feeling-quilly. It got longer than necessary and I didn’t feel like continuing it on the direction it was taking. So I decided to rewrite it in English, a little shorter than before but also nicer, I hope.  
> (Link of the fanart: http://feeling-quilly.tumblr.com/post/134906888653)

Killian Jones has gone through more things he could have ever imagined in his life – he’s saw the unimaginable, which was already something to say for a pirate captain.

He used to think father’s abandonment had made him and his brother stronger men – years and years of slavery should have done the trick. But when he had Liam’s dead body lying on his arms, he knew he should have known better – he knew nothing about pain until that moment – he wasn’t stronger, every loss just broke him a little more. And the mutiny against a King who didn’t even know his loyal captain’s – his beloved brother – name didn’t seem enough to placate all the hate inside him.

But when he looked her at the eyes… _Bloody_ _hell_. He really knew nothing about _life_.

What he did know was that the only reason he hadn’t fallen over the edge in all those years was something – someone – so simple, so… pure for a hardened pirate like him to admit, ever. Because, really – what kind of captain – of any kind – would have a soft side for their pet?

But Emma always had been more than just a pet for him – she was the only family he was left, the only good thing his father had left him. She was his hatchling, his duckling, his swan, the one tiny light in his light – a light he wasn’t going to let anyone tarnish (especially not with their dirty hands of pirates).

And there she was – a bloody princess in front of him. Just because a peck on his cheek – what was that supposed to mean?

“So…” he said after give her the space she needed to put some clothes. He felt his cheeks reddening and he shook his head. “‘Twas true.” A man could hear rumours, but he would’ve liked to believe those were just that.

Emma frowned while bit her lip. “I’ve wanted to talk to you all this time. I thought – perhaps – you’d understand me. This is a surprise for me too – I was resigned to live inside an animal’s body forever.”

“But… how?” He didn’t know who seemed more lost.

He only knew what everyone else knew. The Dark One was looking for a lost princess, the lost princess of Misthaven.

Misthaven, the Enchanted Forest. Misthaven, lands of the kind and beloved queen Snow White, fairest of them all. Misthaven, usurped by the Evil Queen. Misthaven, where the Dark One had his castle and nobody went near him if they knew better. Misthaven, retrieved. Misthaven, where True Love _once_ reigned.

However, all that was left was _Misthaven, nobody’s land_.

“I was a child. I didn’t know – what was going on, but I heard about two curses that day. First, Regina’s one – you’ve heard of her, the Evil Queen – that’s the curse that took my family and people away, I’m sure.”

“And the second one…?”

“The Dark One’s – the one that did this to me. My parents never understood that beast – I remember because they told me he used to be Regina’s tutor. But… you could never know his allies. I think someone – I don’t know who, if Regina or my parents – did something to wrong him,” her voice was raspy and trembling. He could see how difficult was for her to articulate some words, and all that made him want to do was to kill someone – the Dark One, the Evil Queen, it didn’t matter.

“He had no right to take his revenge against you.”

She smiled. What a beautiful but sad smile. “Well, I’ve had a lot of time to think about it as a swan, you know – and I wouldn’t say it was ‘revenge’. It doesn’t seem like his thing.”

“My sword through his chest would seem like his thing.”

“Oh, no, you wouldn’t take that pleasure away from me, would you?”

He didn’t know how to reply to that.

Besides, she was not stupid. She knew better than anyone all the things he’d done – he had no moral authority to throw a speech to her. And there was a thing… but no – he didn’t dare to ask, to know…

“Why the spell has been broken, Highness?” and there he was. Her rank itched on the tip of his tongue.

She looked at him so hard, so intensively, he felt she could do a hole on his forehead. “I think… both of us know the answer to that…, lieutenant.”

Perhaps he knew. As the lieutenant inside him always knew the truth about her, the truth that his pirate’s part repressed. But he didn’t know which truth they were talking about anymore.

Her real identity – or how fast his heart beat having her in front of him, how he’d swear to feel her heart beating at the same pace.

He’d sworn never to serve royalty again – but he’d be damned if he didn’t embrace his lieutenant part to give her everything she wanted.

/

He warned his crew lady Emma would be so in charge of them as the captain himself and anyone with a problem to that was invited to leave or show weapons.

Nobody dared. He wouldn’t have dared with the lass’ fiercely eyes on him, either.

Nothing of princess he could see on her but everything of pirate. The clothes definitively went well with her. And his most selfish side wanted to sail away and stop the search for her family, for her kingdom, to take her only for him – that’s what Captain Jones screamed at one of his shoulders. But his lieutenant side – damn him – knew he wasn’t the merciless pirate when she was involved.

He was the lieutenant, the man who believed in good form. And she was Emma – once his pet because life was a mess, indeed – but his best friend, his family and – finally – his princess.

The woman who true-love-kissed him, apparently. Whatever that meant.

The woman he wanted to kiss every time he saw her.

And yes, the woman who kissed him in every quite moment they found away from their crew. And he kissed back, at the corridors, at their quarters – through every part of their bodies.

“Come with me… To Misthaven,” she said with a husky voice while he was kissing the freckles of her shoulder. Their legs were entangled, as his sheets, after their night. “Once we find my parents and defeat Regina and Rumplestiltskin – if we do defeat them… I don’t want that to be the last time I see you.”

He sighed. “A pirate is hardly welcome among royalty, love. Once we find your people and defeat the Dark One and the Evil Queen – and you _will_ succeed – your parents will have thousands of royal suitors waiting to woo you, and they’ll want the pirate at lengths of their daughter.”

Her eyes hardened. “I care a fuck about royal suitors, Killian.” Her determination made him flinch. “And my parents would never force me to do anything I don’t want – especially _that_ , knowing their own story. I want to find them, I want to save my kingdom, and I want my best friend by my side – as long as we can be together.”

“I swear to you, my princess. You have my body, my sword and my loyalty as long as you want them.”

/

“If the Dark One comes and finds me…”

“I won’t let him touch you. He won’t find you, love.”

There were seconds of a long silence. “I know,” she said, and waited another pause to add: “It’s me the one who’s going to find him.”

His brain stopped. Everything inside him – he could swear _literal_ – stopped. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Careful, captain. Remember I’m the one to outrank you, even on your ship.”

There was no way he was following her lead on that. Not bloody way. Not at all.

He was not going to take her to a suicide mission. Not the Jolly Roger, not their crew, not her…

“I can do it by myself, you don’t have to come with me – nor has the crew. I don’t want anyone to endanger their life for my cause.”

/

Of course everyone was to endanger their lives for her, no matter her protests. A crew had the duty to follow their captain wherever they go – that or mutiny, but he wanted to see someone _dare_ – and he as a captain had the duty to follow his co-captain, his princess, no matter how mad he thought her plans were.

And he reiterated, _suicide mission_.

That woman was going to be the death of him, literal – but he supposed it was a fair price to pay. She needed to regain her kingdom, her family, her people, and for that she needed to find the sorcerer who cursed her as a child – he wouldn’t let her to go on her own, though he would’ve preferred for her to keep on their ship hiding from the beast who have spent eleven years looking for her already. But it was not like he could stop her even if he tried.

“He knows where I am,” she said once, “always did! He’s just waiting for me to find him!”

“How –?!” He would’ve liked to be able to formulate coherent words, but since they were both trying to steer the ship in the middle of a storm, it was complicated.

“I just know.”

/

She did.

The dreadful storm stopped once the vessel made port in Misthaven’s lands. It was like destiny was playing with them.

But she and he knew better than that.

It took Emma a while before she was back – as promised, though he’d feared – with them from her walk through the woods.

She seemed tired, but not from her stroll. Worst, she looked _defeated_. Defeated, and their mission was just beginning.

“Everything’s alright?” Killian asked, uneasy. If she had met something – or someone…

“As fine as it can be. Is just…” she let a heavy sigh go; her hands were trembling. “Nothing is like it used to be. Not the grass, not the trees, not the animals. Everything is – _dead_.”

It was like he could read her mind. “They’re fine, I know. We’ll find them.”

“I guess.” At last, she took a look at the Jolly, at their crew, how everybody was coming down the tables – ready to follow their instructions. “From now on, I’ll be on my own. Wait here with the crew until my sign – if I’m not back in three hours, you –”

“Ho, ho. Stop there, princess. No way in hell I let you go to face the bloody Dark One alone, you know that.”

“Killian, please –”

“We’re a _team_ , Emma. The both of us, you’re my co-captain and I’m yours. I swore my loyalty and my sword to my princess, and I don’t intend to dishonour my oath.”

After seconds that felt like an eternity lost in her eyes, she shook her head. “You’re so dramatic, Jones.” But, once they delegate the crew their duties, she took her sword and his hand to come together into the thicket.

/

“My, my – who do we have here? I would say I didn’t expect visits today… but I’d be lying,” the words came accompanied with some lunatic giggles.

For fuck’s sake. If the Dark One was that damned crocodile, the best he could do was to take Emma with him back to the Jolly and run away from that criature. But she would kill him after that.

“I’ve been waiting for you, for so long, _Emma_.” Couldn’t he cut his tongue for dare to say his princess’ name as if it were something nasty and tainted?

“You know my name.”

“Always did – as you know mine, dearie.”

“So, Rumplestiltskin… I summoned you, as everyone says you should do when you want the Dark One to give you a little _visit_ , but you never came.”

He turned around to take the teapot and serve on the cups. Killian saw how there were more cups full of tea than the three of them – except for one chipped cup. “Lately… I’ve been out of trade – don’t take offence, nothing personal. But still, I’m _delighted_ to see you found me, Your Highness – even brought pirate for the meal.”

Both Emma and Killian felt shut, frozen.

“Not serious.” Really, his laugh was driving him crazy.

“Let’s cut this crap. I just want to know where my family is, where Regina’s curse took them, why did _you_ curse me. Are you working with her? I knew she used to be your student.”

The crocodile sat at the table’s end. Even looked like an invitation for both of them to accompany him, but they knew better. “So you’re the bold kind, princess. Such a vocabulary must be due to the company of pirates – be careful, the dirtiness _sticks_. But I must say, you still know so many things for someone who spent most of her life as an animal.”

“Because of you,” Killian couldn’t hold himself back – the aversion seemed to be mutual. “Why? Are you working for the Evil Queen?”

Rumplestiltskin clicked his tongue and went self-absorbed for a moment. “Once – we used to have our business together. But she _wronged_ me – in the worst way of betrayal she could come with, and I’m one for paying back.”

“So why curse me? Regina took my kingdom, my family away – I’m so against her as you are – why would you –?”

“Wouldn’t everybody like for things to be crystal clear?” he croaked. “You’re useful to me, dearie, I couldn’t lose you to the Dark Curse, I needed you in the Enchanted Forest.”

“So my family is…?”

“Lost. Lost in a land where there no _happy endings_ ,” with a wriggle of his hands – as almost everything he said – he sounded overjoyed.

“I want to go there,” Emma said, everything was determination in her voice and Killian feared for what that beast could have prepared for her. He’d said he _needed_ her, and that couldn’t signify anything good.

“So much in common. I told you – I do need you; I need the princess of Misthaven to take me where the queen didn’t so _I_ can take what was stolen from me,” the Dark One’s voice turned bitter as he stood from the chair to walk through the room. “I need the Saviour, the product of True Love. I can teach you, Emma. You still don’t know anything about it, but you could be the greatest sorcerer this land has known, almost as good as I am. You can have your family back and defeat the Evil Queen – I can train you to be better than her. You can have everything. But the _pirate_ ,” he spat the word with so much hate Killian shivered, “stays.”

“No bloody way, crocodile.” Sick of the shit, Killian drew his sword to place it at the beast’s chest. Emma went behind him to grab him from the vest. “Wherever she goes, I go with her.”

The beast giggled – again – out of his reverie. “How courageous, lover boy. But you see, I have this major deal to achieve that was once ruined already – I’m not one for repeating mistakes. And you – well, let’s say you seem to be _constantly_ on my way…, _captain_.”

“What you’re talking abou –?” Before he could end the phrase, the feeling of a force hoisting him off his feet took him aback. He was crushing against a bookcase.

That time was Emma the one to draw her sword and point it to the crocodile. “Let him go – _now_.”

“Just keeping things where they belong. What do you say, dearie? Come with me to get your kingdom back, give me your help and we have a deal: your pirate lives.”

“Emma! Emma, please – don’t! Dark Ones lie! You can’t trust them, there’s always a trick behind their wo – Ah!!!” The pain cut through him; his vision went black. His hand…

“Killian!” Apparently, Emma ran to get his falling hand back, but it was already out of her reach. The Dark One’s giggles were clue it was in his power, as he had them. “You said –!”

“I said he’d live – didn’t specify in which state, did I?”

Bloody hell, why was he doing that? The three of them wanted the same thing; all of them want to get to Emma’s family, to defeat the Evil Queen.

Killian tried to fight against the force that was keeping him out of her reach. He couldn’t let her do it alone, no matter how much effort Rumplestiltskin put on made them apart.

Her sword was still pointing the crocodile with a ready-to-attack pose. “If you help me to find my family, as you say, and let Killian go without further harm – we have a deal.”

The crocodile smiled – a dirty, pleased smile he wanted to punch the hell out of. “So you have my word, Your Highness.”

But a glow began to cover Emma’s body, and he tried to get rid of his immobility even more vehemently. He knew, he told her they couldn’t trust in Dark Ones. He just knew and Emma… Oh no, _Swan_.

The swan he spent his life with was in front of them, squawking, shaking.

“You, fucking liar!” his scream was broken, full of anger – it filled the whole room and made the crocodile turn around. “She gave you her word! And you –!”

“If there’s something you should know about me, is that I only broke one deal in my whole life. And I can assure you, pirate, this is _not_ the one.”

Just a motion of his scaly hand was the last thing Killian saw. Because he was back on the Jolly – with his crew, one less hand and a broken heart.

The swan’s squeals and his previous yells still echoed on his head. But they were supplanted by new ones: his men screaming for their wounded captain – and where the other one was, too – sunk in confusion. The Jolly Roger with all them inside fought against the winds of the middle of the ocean.

Without explanations, he grabbed Smee’s hand so tight he was to break his bones, and walked through the plank to the helm. There was a hook stuck between panels, the sudden transportation of the ship must have brought it – he took it. A determination _never_ felt before filled his body, and he knew what to do.

A promise to himself – the hook to be buried on the crocodile’s heart.

The oath to his princess to not be forgotten. Orders for the crew to take, they were not giving up.

No matter where, no matter how long it could take… _Emma, I’m coming for you._


	2. White Swan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the people sticking with this, you’re so cool. This part is a little darker than the previous one, and next parts will follow that path . I really hope you enjoy this one, and let me know your thoughts on it.

Over a decade, Emma’s only desire has been to be free from her own body.

She could barely remember her early days as a cygnet, could barely remember her life before being sold to Killian's father, she could barely remember her parents’ faces. Her most vivid memory was still a broken cabin boy after the abandonment of his father – she wanting to talk with him, to comfort him, to share what was happening to her.

The sensation of freedom, her body, the feelings and adventures she explored aboard the ship… everything was gone, as fast as a shooting star. She found herself imprisoned again, and without the person who gave her the hope to go on.

So she was left with just that – swan by day, woman by night. How poetic. A _magic_ swan.

A magic woman with the scariest tutor of all.

She’d already given her word to not escape from the castle as long as he kept his, but somehow Rumplestiltskin still believed the safest option was to keep her on his palm as a swan. Although this curse was – apparently – much weaker than the one who kept her captive half of her life, he was determined – “We must fix the mistake that was made.”

Every time he said something like that, during her first moons at the castle, she attributed it to Regina’s betrayal – until she found the vault.

.

She remembered that one eventide.

Rumplestiltskin hadn’t arrived yet for the time the sun was disappearing in the sky, and she managed to open her cell. Her intention had been to look for one of the many magic objects of the castle, one that allowed her to know about Killian – to be sure he was fine. She couldn’t live in doubt about what the Dark One had done to him.

So she followed corridors she had never seen on her time there. There was a long way down through the stairs. The wooden gate at the end was locked but she’d learned enough at that point to know how to open doors with her magic.

(Her strongest magic, since her tutor must have seen her coming and the lock had a protecting spell.)

Emma didn’t consider herself as someone easy to impress, but she could swear in that moment her blood stopped running through her veins.

She shallowed. Her hands were sweaty. And still, she went forward – even took the courage to pick up some of the swans’ feathers scattered through the stone floor. But that couldn’t make her avoid looking up for much longer.

The swans were at their prisons – trapped, locked, crying. She tried hard to ignore the animal parts out of the cages – out of their owners, for the matter – to concentrate on the living. Were they…?

They were not _the Saviour_.

She closed her eyes and clung to the bars so tight she began to feel dizzy. Supplicant eyes were the last she saw before she stood up and kept her way through the dungeons.

However, the place didn’t seem like a dungeon. It was very neat despite the feathers still covering the floor – the shelves were high to the ceiling and all them seemed to be divided into classes and categories; a lot of bottles full of… what it seemed like liquids – _potions_ , she corrected herself – _magic._

And a special section attracting her in… Her blood boiled, her heart sped up.

She knew magic. In particular, she was familiar with True Love’s magic. And she could felt it from all those bottles and jars – from the feathers, from two strands of hair entwined.

The noises above told her Rumplestiltskin was back.

Emma looked at the feather she realized she was squeezing between her fingers… True Love’s magic – like hers, – but not only hers, the Saviour’s, and not only theirs.

_More like ‘ours’._

.

Emma didn’t look for a way to know about Killian again. Where was him, what was he doing, was he alive…

Days went by as usual – imprisoned by day, practicing at night.

She knew he knew. No matter how fast she made back to her cage. Rumplestiltskin always knew, but he didn’t say a word about it. Instead, his treatment towards her grew harsher – and she was quieter than before.

What Rumplestiltskin didn’t knew, she thought – or _couldn’t_ know, there was no way – was that Emma had begun to extend her magic to her swan form. But she wouldn’t let anything out of him, never.

One day, he didn’t lead her straight to train but he invited her to make him company on his meal.

He didn’t touch his plate at all through all the night. He was glaring at her, which she responded with the same courtesy.

“I know you know,” he finally said. “So why don’t you tell me, _Saviour_ … You know I don’t like surprises, and I can imagine what you saw was a surprise to you.”

“You wouldn’t tell me anyway, _Dark One_.” He nodded at that. “So… I prefer to invest my speaking time in important matters.”

Rumplestiltskin squinted at her. “To know if I plan to kill you or not isn’t an important matter to you, dearie?”

“You made abundantly clear you need me, as I need you. You would be very stupid to kill me, and I have you as an intelligent – _man_.” He didn’t reply to that so Emma went on. “Is not that part of our deal what has my concerns, but I have to know if you kept your word in our other terms.”

“Your pirate.”

“Is he still alive? What have you done to him? If you hurt him, I can assure you I won’t care one damn about our deal – I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

He stood up, and made a sign for Emma to accompany him. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see at the images on the mirror. He, with a hook for a hand, captaining his ship and crew Gods knew where, looking for her… Bags under his eyes, angry, closed-up – as she remembered him after his father’s abandonment, after Liam’s tragedy… Determined but broken, so broken it killed her – _my fault, all my fault_.

“As you see, I kept my word – but someone didn’t keep his. It looks like a dirty pirate is determined in finding you, princess.”

But he shouldn’t. She didn’t want to. “You have more powerful magic than mine, don’t you? Why don’t you do anything to stop him?” He’d already risked so much for her and she couldn’t stand the idea of him facing the Dark One again. She had her plan settled and couldn’t let him endangering his life to ruined it.

“I already did, dearie.” Rumplestiltskin came back to his seat. “Neverland, a personal favourite – that will entertain him for a while.” The blue eyes were gone, and her heart was already sinking. “But anyway, he always has been a pain in my ass,” he said it so quietly Emma wasn’t sure he pretended her to hear.

_How is that?,_ she wanted to ask.

But she didn’t. Hadn’t wanted to push her luck.

“How did you escape?” she asked instead. “I know how strong was the magic imprisoning you back then, in those cells. How did you make it to curse me and be free?”

He came back from his reverie, as usual, and fixed his eyes on her. “I didn’t. It was quite the opposite. I could have broken the spell, but I didn’t want to – what I wanted was to stay there, as well as I never wanted to go through all this with you, princess. Nothing of this should have ever happened.”

“So was thus how the queen betrayed you? And how you decided to – change my fate.”

“In a way of saying… She wasn’t the only one. _I_ didn’t change your fate – nothing of this should have ever happened, and we have to fix the mistake that was made, _Saviour_ , we must _repair_ the fate.”

If that meant to get to her parents and keep the people she loved safe, there was nothing she wouldn’t do to help him.

.

It was a whole different night. Rumplestiltskin was not there to unlock her for their classes. And she knew why.

She could hear _their names_ – some of them clearer than others.

At first, it was a whispering filling the fort, the castle, even her cage. His list. One by one – promise, lost, pain, anger, vengeance, revenge.

Promise. Loss. Pain. Anger. Vengeance. Revenge.

And then, the yelling – losing his mind. Broken glasses, broken wood.

Anyone at not many miles away could have known, she had no doubts. His screams were driving her crazy. She was convinced there would be no castle or dungeons to be incarcerated at after his rage.

And grabbed on her mind ended the most broken shriek. Promise.

_Bae._

Baelfire.

He had to fix the mistake that was made.

.

She kept looking at the scratched lines all over the walls of her cell years went by.

Her freedom, her family, her kingdom – everything was a distant spot on the horizon.

The mirror no longer reflected Killian’s image.

Her cage felt more constricted than ever – more and more feathers filling the view every time. She carried the weight of those – hers, theirs, – the weight of the time.

The weight of that increasing desire to put a dagger through his heart, to end with everything – with him, with the Queen, with the responsible of _the mistake_.

A desire that began to cloud her vision.

.

Run.

She might wasn’t able to do it. Her legs were weak, her body wanted to fall apart. The air was not resistant to leave her lungs – as it has done every day a little more over the past ten years.

She’d had a mission – she was the Saviour, the ultimate product of the Truest Love. But she wasn’t useful anymore.

She knew it at his last rage.

It was her birthday. Her magic had been perfect despite her health weakness, of that she could be certain, but he still burst with anger. Another mistake, another fail – someone else failing.

She had no idea what was he talking about but she didn’t take the chance to know. She run towards the dungeons, towards the vault, towards her friends – _I could still save them_ , the ones who lived.

_I still want to,_ realized with relief.

Run she could not, not anymore, but her magic –

A part of her mind travelled to Graham’s words, his old advices following her parents’ lead, as well as Lancelot’s sword lessons (proper for a child). But she didn’t think anything of that could have prepared her to affront such a situation – and nothing about powers, not after Regina.

_What would they think of me right now? What –? How could I be a saviour having done, having thought what I think? How –?_ Bad timing.

She took in a satchel all the bottles with potion made with her essence and the swans’, and then proceeded to explain her idea of plan. They nodded and squawked.

Run. Escape. Massive transportation. Stay alive. _Now_.

It was the only place she could envision in that desperate moment to get away from the castle and come with a better idea. The glow emerging inside her and her mind gave no second thought. She could feel it.

_The port._

Nothing changed from the last time she was there. The emptiness still squeezed her heart and not even the swans’ noises were enough to fill the silence that reigned for so many years.

But she couldn’t stop at that, she had to be fast, effective. Rubbed her hands and could already feel the warm emerging – she needed concentration, more than ever; it was the only way to make appear a damn boat out of nothing for them to escape.

So long she thought about everything she cared as disappearing spots on the horizon – she didn’t expect an actual vessel coming from that horizon. Had she done that? Had she –?

A naval vessel. A pirate ship. A pirate captain – a hook that gleamed under the starlight.

_Killian._

She wanted to shout for him to look at her waving arms, but couldn’t take the risk of catching so much attention. And he didn’t see her indeed – the ship seemed to be rerouting, away from Misthaven, away from her.

_No. Come. Come back to me._

And the ship did.

She had no idea if it was a magnetic force attracting it to her, her magic, or the connection they shared all their lives – a connection they have kept all that time.

He saw her. The Jolly was close enough for her to see his grin from ear to ear and his eyes full of joy and – and love. Like hers.

She was in his arms in a blink of an eye, lifted from her feet – the feeling of floating around in euphoria, the tears running down their cheeks and words of love in their ears. Her friends squawked behind them; they didn’t even know him, but he had already won their affections if he could make their princess smile like that.

_You found me._

“Swan… and – _swans_ ,” he said. After the moment of happiness, confusion took over his face. She wanted to kiss him so badly. “What –? How –? Where’s the crocodile?”

“There’s no time for it.” She really wanted to kiss him, but they had to act fast – be on their way far from Misthaven before the moon disappeared with the darkness. Rumplestiltskin already knew they weren’t in the castle. “We have to go – far away from here. We have to take them with us… Did you – Is the crew with you?”

“No,” he didn’t add more to it. “Follow me, there has to be space for all of us.”

Before going on, he took that time to kiss her cheek – once again – and she could feel her heart fluttering as she gave instructions to her friends to follow their lead.

She took his hook and he almost jumped at the gesture, his body shivered and he avoided her confused look. It was then when she kissed his temple. _Everything is fine._

_Will everything be fine when you find out all about me, all those things you never knew – I – never knew?_

.

Emma knew cabin boy Killian, that blue-eyed kid far too innocent for his sake who found her trapped on a cage while he was seeking into his father’s quarters. She saw that kid be broken by the disillusion of his idol, his father. She saw the slave boys fighting for a future. She saw Liam and Killian Jones, Captain and Lieutenant of the Royal Navy of His Majesty, King George. She saw Liam die at his king’s betrayal – and Killian die of pain. She saw how the Jewel of the Real became the Jolly Roger, pirate ship.

She knew her friend, her lover, practically his whole life. But she missed the transformation of pirate Captain Jones into Captain Hook’s birth. Captain Hook, pirate captain also – but lethal, ruthless, cutthroat.

Or that she heard – that it looked like in her old mirror. Because that man wasn’t there.

Not with her. He always came back to the sweet and proper lieutenant – giving his services, his loyalty, his _all_ to the royalty he so willingly served. No matter how crazy were his princess ( _his swan!_ ) requests, he always found a way to follow her in the madness.

That man was there with her; but quieter, ashamed, so much ashamed of himself – even more than the shame she used to see in the old captain’s eyes. He thought he hid it from her while he steered the Jolly away from her home land and helped her with her new friends – as a way to find his path back to the man with honour he used to be, perhaps – but how wrong he was. Hadn’t he learnt already that everything he was she could see it in herself?

Her own darkness. All the times she’d tried to end with her master with a sharp object before the night ended. All the times she thought in betraying everything she was. Deciding to stay with the man who caused so much harm to everyone – everything – she loved was treason on its own.

She couldn’t mind about the blood his hook tasted when she still wondered how she could be a saviour with all those demons inside.

But his hand holding hers was all she needed to see the light again.

.

“Running away with the pirate, Your Highness? Why does this situation feel so awkwardly familiar?”

When the sound of the giggling voice and its owner appeared in the middle of the deck, to the surprise of nobody, she cursed herself for being so naively selfish. Of course she wasn’t freed of his grasp. Of course she should have let the swans leave with Killian and come back to face her fate with her master.

The night began to fade. She had to protect them before it was too late.

Killian had already drawn his sword towards him and put himself before her. “Get the fuck away from her, crocodile.”

“Oh, as bold as always. I can see the charm.” A sword was soon on his hand, he was ready to put a fight – even if it was so damn obvious who would win that encounter. “Let’s see what the pretty face has learnt. You must remember the last time we went through this, I got a princess and you got a hook as a price, dearie.”

Killian groaned. “Shut your bloody mouth. It’s been a long while and my hook has lust of crocodile’s blood since then.”

“My sword has been thirsty of pirate’s blood for hundreds of years.”

The blades clashed. Not Rumplestiltskin and Killian’s, but Rumplestiltskin and hers. If she wasn’t going to stop the Dark One to let him leave – and let all of the swans leave with him – she knew how to put up a fight to.

“Emma, no.”

“The student faces the master. This is quite the _show_ , dearie.”

“Fuck off.”

More clashing as the rain fell on them. Killian fought by her side – both together, as the team they had always been, against Rumplestiltskin’s two weapons. The swans run to come together at a corner of the ship, trembling while they danced; a dance for their lives.

Killian was as skilled as always – well, much more than back then – and she’d improved too. But they were no rival for a Dark One. They just weren’t, nothing they did would be enough, and a common blade could not slay the beast – she had always suspected it, but every time she faced him was a confirmation.

The stab through Killian’s chest as he jumped in the way of her master’s sword and her was another confirmation.

She didn’t know about what Rumplestiltskin claimed to be a mistake, she didn’t know if all them were trapped into a dimension where things that weren’t supposed to happen. But her heart stopping and her pain – oh Gods, her pain – were confirmation that everything was _real_.

She lied over his lifeless body, took his pale cheeks between her hands, tried to give him her warmness.

“Killian,” she whispered. “Killian, please. No, no, please. You have to stay, you have to stay!” she shook him, sent waves of her light magic through his wound; she wanted him to come back to her. He couldn’t leave her, she couldn’t let it happen, it couldn’t be real. “I can’t lose you.”

But again, her pain told her that it indeed happened. And despite of they shared True Love’s Kiss, she never got to tell him how much she loved him.

_And now there’s no kiss I could gave him to bring him back._

A tear ran down her face, followed by a dozen more. Her body began to shake hugged at his. She held him for dear life as she cried and cried and her teardrops soaked his black locks.

The bottles of potion were broken inside her bag, spread with their colours all over the deck as the rain mourned along Emma, and as her friends accompanied her too, while the wind carried their tears towards him.

The clouds were gone and the sky cleared, the last drops falling and the sun appearing on the horizon. And yet, the white swan didn’t rise.

What it did rise was a glow from Killian’s body, the same glow that began to emerge from the potions spread on deck, the glow in her and in her friends.

She was a human, everybody was. And he was with her, alive.

“Swan,” he said with a husky voice as his eyes shivered to the sunlight. The only wind in the place was the wind coming from the hole the potions opened on the ship. “What –?”

She kissed him before letting him stop. His lips responded back after a little moment of disconcert. Her arms went tight on him and, if there were rests of pain from the injury, he didn’t say anything nor show it at all, not when his arms were around her too.

“I love you so,” she murmured on his lips. His smile went broad against hers and she guessed he was answering with an _‘I love you, my princess’_ or something very close to that as she didn’t let him speak with her kisses.

They would have stayed thus for all the time if the strident voice wouldn’t have been a reminder that nothing was over. “How romantic,” the Dark One said – completely unsurprised.

“You – How could you possibly –? How –?”

“When you see the future, there is irony everywhere.”

“You were _expecting_ this to happen –,” Emma said, outraged, “for Killian to appear after all those years, to have this fight and him to die and revive. All that trouble in trapping me and training me for him to found me… All that trouble for –”

“For that.” She looked at the direction him was pointing, at the hole the potions opened where the wind came. It was… people, constructions, landscapes, _life_ from a different land. “True Love’s Kisses can break curses but they can’t open portals. I needed more power. A True Love’s Sacrifice, True Love’s Tears – products of the True Love along the Saviour who is a product of it herself. I got rid of those who weren’t useful anymore and kept their essences and body parts for the potions – True Love’s Potions to enact the spell of all that magic combined.”

It was everything part of his vision, his plan to fix the mistake someone made. How fucking cynic could that be?

She stopped Killian to reach his sword to put up another battle. Not again, not even is everyone was as outraged as she was. “What’s that?” she finally asked at seeing the most peculiar land she’d ever seen.

“A vision, isn’t it? Is a horrible, horrible place where there are no _happily ever afters_ – or so they say. The word where your parents were sent, Your Highness. Their inhabitants give it many names, but I tend to call it the Land Without Magic,” they were the last words he said before jumping into the depths.

It was Killian’s turn to stop her from going after him. Not blindly again, not with the mess they still have to deal with above the ship. But her parents, her people… she had to go…

She ran towards her friends, the former swans. They all welcomed her with a hug and cheers, despite of the traumatic moment everybody went through.

“You did it, Your Highness,” a blond woman said. F       or a moment she didn’t recognized her, but she saw the face of Ella, her mother’s friend, in her. Alexandra.

She recognized then some other faces similar to her parents’ friends’.

“I still didn’t. You all need to go back to the Enchanted Forest and regain Misthaven’s control as I go behind Rumplestiltskin.”

“You can’t possibly go near to him after everything he did to you!”

“It disgusts me too, but I must. I have to save the King and Queen, I have to save the people who were dragged there by the Evil Queen. I’m the Saviour, it’s my duty – and, if everything the Dark One predicted turns true, I’ll succeed.”

There was no time for discussions about it, no time for questions. She had nothing but her sword and she still though her capable of doing it. For the first time, she thought herself as capable.

Free.

Killian took her hand, and she was already on her way of protesting. She was not going back, he was the one who had to go back to steer the helm towards her land.

But that was old. And they both had learned the hard way they were a team, and a team stays together. She remembered his oath. _“I swear to you, my princess. You have my body, my sword and my loyalty as long as you want them.”_

She had already given him her soul, so how could another adventure together make a difference?

They kissed – so broken but with such a passion, the passion and need after all the pain they were put to endure. But they were there, still standing.

Entangled in each other, they nodded. And after waves of hands to their friends, they interlaced their fingers and jumped into the road.

.

Rumplestiltskin was in front of their eyes, face up the grey path constructed between the woods. She could see a whole new _man_ , his scaly skin was gone as his breeches, shirt and vest to be replaced by the oddest clothes – grey as the road.

“After so many years – finally, here we are.”

_Welcome to Storybrooke._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already said this on tumblr, but I recently realized I should've added it here too, I took some inspiration from _Pokémon The Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back_ 's scene when Ash is turned into stone to write the last scene aboard the Jolly when Killian is revived by Emma and the swans. Is just a little detail, but I should've pointed it because it was intentional as many surely might have noted.  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)


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